Let the Safari Begin

Leaving the weekend delights of Naenae behind us, we set off to take part in Pat and Thelma’s safari trip.  Stopping at Plimmerton NZMCA Park for the essential dump and fresh water, we traveled on, calling into home very briefly.  Someone who should have known better had left some milk in the fridge at home, and we didn’t really  think it would be in any fit state when we finally returned after 3 weeks away.  As it was a long weekend, there were lots of cars on the road, all coming towards us.  Many were at a standstill around the choke points by Otaki and Levin.  After driving 199kms we arrived at out stop for the night, the Wanganui East Club.  There were three vans on our first night away, Pat and Thelma, their friends Frank and Adrienne, and us.

Our first night away

The next morning we were on our way again, and started by driving over the Dublin Street Bridge over the Wanganui River.  As  far as bridges go, this would have to be one of my favourites, it always seems rather like it was constructed out of Meccano pieces.  Is it only me, or do others have favourite bridges in their travels too?

Dublin Street Bridge, Wanganui

Over the next two nights we stayed at Ninia Park-Over in Bell Block, New Plymouth.  This lovely property was previously a tamarillo farm, and has a lovely set up for campers.  Power sites are available, and there is also a Happy Hour Shed to gather in.  Geoff and Eileen joined us later in the evening here for the safari.

Staying at Ninia

While in New Plymouth, we always try to catch up with Robin’s school friend Gary and his lovely wife Glenyss.  They were off on a trip themselves the following day so it was lucky that they could squeeze us in before they departed.  Forgot to take photos of our visit, but quite by chance, their mutual friend John had sent through a photo showing four friends after a fishing trip. 

Those were the days!

We ran out of gas in the early hours and the fridge stopped working.  But instead of the loud insistent “beep, beep” that the fridge in our previous van made, this one just has a red light come on.  So a visit to get the gas cylinder refilled was on the list of things to do the following morning.  Along with a visit to the Laundromat, and to replenish a few groceries, it was a busy morning.

Refill time

We joined Pat, Thelma and their rellies for dinner at Sun World Restaurant on Wednesday night - a combined  catch up for Thelma’s family, and a farewell to New Plymouth for us happy campers.  Great food, and very reasonably priced, it was a lovely evening indeed.

Robin, Jenny, Eileen and Geoff at Sunworld Restaurant

Robin took us on a little tiki tour before heading back to camp.  We drove down to the waterfront in the twilight to see what we could see – which turned out to be  the pink tinged sky and a lone fisherman patiently waiting by his rod.

A study in patience

Would I get to see Mt Taranaki/Egmont before we left the area, I wondered?  There is a saying in these parts, if you can’t see the mountain, it’s raining, and if you can see it, it’s going to rain.  We certainly had more than our fair share of rain lately.  Robin drove up to Churchill Height's to see if we could get a view, and there the mountain was, unencumbered by clouds in the dusk.  What a great finale to our evening.

Mt Taranaki/Egmont

Out and About in New Plymouth

It was a morning of nostalgia for Robin, checking out his old family home and the Primary, Intermediate and High Schools he attended back in the day.  New Plymouth has rather steep hills and as boys, groups of them would race their trollies down these slopes, without a care in the world – no thoughts of danger back then.  Then there was the sea water swimming pool – hours of training took place in the mornings before school.  We stopped to have a look at Paritutu Rock which is a volcanic remnant, a part of the nearby Sugar Loaf Islands, all eroded stumps of an ancient volcanic crater.  As a scout, Robin and some mates not only did the challenging climb to the top, but stayed overnight in a tent.

Paritutu Rock

Captain Cook named the seven small offshore islands after the lumps of sugar loaf he put in his tea, but the white sugar you can see is actually bird guano.

Looking down at a couple of sugar lumps

Close by is the Pioneer Memorial, marking the locality where the pioneer settlers landed in 1841-43, carried across on eight vessels.

Pioneer Memorial

Another intriguing memorial we stumbled across was the Fitzroy Pole, “Pou Tutaki”.  The original carved boundary post, known as Fitzroy Pole, was  erected in 1848 by the Te Ātiawa chief Te Waitere Katatore, marking the boundary beyond which no European was to settle.  This replacement Fitzroy pole was erected to mark New Zealand’s centennial in 1940.

The Fitzroy Pole

Early mornings are often the best time to catch a glimpse of Mt Egmont without too many clouds obscuring the view.  Also known as Mount Taranaki, it  is New Zealand's most perfectly formed volcano. The mountain is around 120,000 years old and last erupted in 1775 and volcanologists agree that the mountain is 'dormant' rather than extinct.

Mt Egmont

We went for a short walk around the beautiful Pukekura Park today.  The park covers 52ha (128 acres) right in the heart of the city and is one of New Zealand's premier botanical garden.  The lake is so beautiful and serene, surrounded by native trees and lush ferns, and with plenty of exotic flowering trees and shrubs too.  We could see people away in the distance crossing over the footbridge, swans were swimming lazily by, a delightful place indeed.

Looking over the lake

The Band Rotunda has been a major feature of the park since 1887.  I loved the old photo on the information board showing the Band Rotunda and the nearby monument to Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, with views of the lake and Mt Egmont in the background.

Our last evening was spent catching up with Robin’s old school mate Gary and his lovely wife Glennis, who invited us around for a delicious home cooked meal.  Robin and Gary go back a long way, so there was plenty to talk about, even though we had seen them when they stopped off at Levin recently.  It’s always nice to catch up with old friends.  We are moving on tomorrow – next stop Hawera.

Up in the Snow

New Plymouth has a brand new NZMCA Park at Bell Block, opened in July 2018.  Transformed from a gorse covered piece of land, to a site with all weather parking, water, rubbish facilities and a dump station.  Trees have been planted around the outside of the section, and something we hadn't seen before, site boundaries are marked for vans.  There is an area in the middle of the camp to accommodate large buses. A new wooden shed houses the sign-in book, local info, shelves of swap-a-book, and for those who really must keep the laundry up to date while on holiday, a sturdy clothesline in a nice sunny area.   It is all very well done, and a credit to all those involved.

New NZMCA Park, New Plymouth

Hearing about a recent fall of snow on Mt Egmont, we took a drive to to the North Egmont Visitors Centre.  The road took us through 6 km of dense rainforest, past rimu and rata trees, ferns and mosses, a very pretty drive indeed up a fairly narrow, winding road. 

Driving up the mountain

Snow started appearing on the edges of the road, getting thicker the closer we got to our destination, and some cars on the way down had packed snow onto the bonnets.  The car park was full – being a Sunday it seemed everyone was out and about.  Children were having fun playing in the snow, throwing the occasional snowball, and slipping and sliding about.

View of Mt Egmont from the car park

We walked carefully up the snow covered walkway to the Look Out, which gave us a rather hazy view over New Plymouth.  And look – someone’s had fun making a snow man family.

It’s more years ago than we can remember when we were last slipping and sliding about in snow.  Lovely to see up close, and great to see so many people out and about enjoying themselves.  For some children, it would be their very first time in snow, so that is rather special for the families.

The Visitors Centre also housed a café, so we carefully negotiated the snow covered steps and deck.  Don’t want to slip and fall and do ourselves a mischief, do we?  A hot drink was in order, which we enjoyed looking out at the view through the large picture windows. 

North Egmont Visitors Centre

We noticed a sign in the Visitors Centre prohibiting dogs – “not even in your car” it stated, and with a huge fine of $100,000 to those who flout the law.

No dogs allowed

We had a lovely time enjoying the snow on the lower part of the mountain.  In his younger days, Robin has climbed right to the top of Mt Egmont, and has a certificate to prove it, he tells me.

Next Stop, New Plymouth

Our one night stay at Otorohanga was beset with rain and the temperatures dropped low overnight.  Another day of warm  clothes and socks - what’s happened to Spring?  The weather will improve, we are sure of it.  We left mid morning heading south, and it was a slower journey, with lots of climbing involved.  We bypassed the centre of Te Kuiti, and stopped briefly at the pretty little village of Piopio.  Such a lovely place, and we have stayed here twice in the past.  Driving up hill and down dale we admired the interesting rock formations of Mahoenui, they are truly amazing, in my view.

Rocks at Mahoenui

You have to admire the guts and determination of the men who chipped away to dig tunnels through  solid rock, and on our trip today we drove through two of these.  The first was at Awakino, a single lane but both high and wide enough to accommodate our caravan, thank goodness.  No doubt trucks can squeeze through these tunnels too, driving very carefully.

The second tunnel was at the top of Mt Messenger, double laned this time, but we were pleased we didn’t meet a big truck coming the other way.

Mt Messenger tunnel

The scenery around this area is fabulous

The whitebait fishermen were out in force along the river banks we noticed, but well out of our price range.   Fresh whitebait was for sale at Mokau, and there is nothing nicer than whitebait fritters.  We can dream, can’t we, and will make do with lamb chops tonight.

Driving along the coast, we passed through Urenui and Waitara, eventually arriving at New Plymouth.  This is Robin’s old stomping ground where he did most of his schooling (from 7 years onwards) and spent many happy summers at the surf beaches.  We are staying several days, always a bonus not to have to pack up and move each day.  The plan is to catch up with his old school mate Gary while we are here, and perhaps do a little sightseeing.  Wonder if we will see Mt Egmont in all it's glory, without it’s cloud cover, as it is today?  I’ll keep my camera handy, just in case.

Gemma has settled down well with this traveling business, snoozes the whole trip and doesn’t get too upset.  It’s even better, she thinks, if she can sleep on my lap.  Her harness and lead are attached to the back seat car belt so she is quite secure but has just enough lead to move from the back seat to the front, and to keep her from being flung against the front window.

New Plymouth to Hawera

The POP we stayed at in New Plymouth was lovely, with views over farmland beside us.  Mind you, there are houses quite close in the other direction, but we can imagine that we are in the deepest darkest countryside, can’t we.

Camping with country views

Mt Egmont decided to show herself in all her glory the next morning.  Just as well I was up early enough to snap this photo, and she gathered the clouds tightly around herself not long after, and kept them there for most of the day.

Mt Egmont

We spent most of the afternoon driving here and there, doing a few jobs, and stopping off to purchase a few extra groceries.  Robin did most of his schooling in New Plymouth, so we had to check out his childhood home, and drove past his primary and secondary schools.  He commented that he used to bike up and down all the steep hills as a boy, and it was no trouble for strong young legs.

 

Later in the afternoon we had an appointment with a Birman breeder, who bred the Champion sire Lord Apollo of our beloved cat Muffy.  Muffy has been gone some time now and we are in the market for a new kitten and want to get one from this blood line, if possible.  Here’s hoping a kitten (female, seal point) comes available soon.  The breeding cats were all outside in their cages enjoying the late afternoon sunshine, but difficult to get good photos through the mesh.

Birmans at the cattery

The four of us went out for a Chinese meal at Sunworld Restaurant, and invited Robin’s old school mate Gary and his wife Glenys to join us.  It was a lovely night catching up and reminiscing.

Jenny and Robin, with Gary and Glenys

It was time to move on again, heading down to Hawera with a couple of stops along the way.  Stratford was named after the birthplace of William Shakespeare and many of the streets bear the name of the characters from his plays.  Stratford's glockenspiel stands in the main street, Broadway, and is unique to New Zealand.   Romeo and Juliet, emerge for the balcony scene, reaffirming their vows of love, four times a day.   The life-size figures were created by Nigel Ogel, owner/curator of Tawhiti Museum, near Hawera.  Well worth the time to stop and listen, if you are there at the right time.

Glockenspiel at Stratford

Our next stop was to “The Cheesebar” at Eltham  to buy some cheese and hopefully pick up a bargain or two.  There was some delicious Kikorangi Blue on special, so I made sure I got some of that, plus a few other cheeses.

I can’t say no to a good cheese

Not too much further and we pulled into the NZMCA site at Hawera.  Plenty of room for us at lunch time, although travelers often arrive in the early evening.  Not us – if possible we like to get settled on site by mid afternoon at the latest.

NZMCA site at Hawera

Only one night here for us – on Thursday we are traveling to Wanganui to meet up with our Caravan Club for a  long weekend rally.  It will be great to catch up with the other members again, as we missed the previous rally.

New Plymouth

New Plymouth is all about the mountain – known as both  Mt Egmont and (latterly) Mt Taranaki, which sits serenely watching all that happens below.  The early European settlers soon felled the native forests, leaving behind rich volcanic soils which form the backbone of Taranaki’s dairy industry.  The mountain was peeping out of the cloud cover, and hopefully we will get a nice clear shot while we are visiting the area.There’s a saying up this way: “If you can’t see the mountain, it’s raining, and if you can see the mountain,  it’s going to rain!”

Mt Egmont

One of the things on our New PLymouth bucket list was a visit to the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery.  This amazing building is covered in highly polished stainless steel and shimmers and shines, and was designed by New Zealand architect Andrew Patterson.

Govett-Brewster Art Gallery

The inside of the building, showing the convoluted wall

We went primarily to see Len Lye’s moving sculptures, and as we moved through the gallery, we were drawn towards the moving shadows on the wall, and the sound of rattling and shaking, slowly getting closer as we looked through the “Emanations – the Art of the Camerless Photo” exhibition.  Sounds rather strange, doesn’t it?  But these works were made using photo paper, light and heat.  And finally, there it was, the beautiful, fascinating, dancing “Four Fountains”.  We sat and watched, as the rods, lit up with light,  turned this way and that in a never-ending cycle of movement.

Len Lye spent his career pursuing an ‘art of movement’. He wanted to affect people physically and emotionally, so that art became a full body experience. Whether this was with flashing, dancing cinematography, or thunderous, oscillating metallic sculptures, his work stimulated the senses and was unforgettable.

Three of the Four Fountains

Luckily, we timed our visit to coincide with a film on Len Lye’s life and his thought processes to designing his kenetic sculptures.  We were only sorry that there wasn’t more of this very talented man’s work on show at the gallery at this time.  But we knew where there was another example on the coastal walkway, the famous Wind Wand, so drove down to have another look at this interesting sculpture.    Wind Wand is constructed out of fibreglass and carbon fibre. It weighs about 900kg and has a diameter of 200mm. Wind Wand can bend at least 20m. The red sphere on the top contains 1,296 light-emitting diodes (LED).

Wind Wand on the waterfront

In the evening we were invited to spend the evening with Robin’s old school friend Gary and his wife Glennis.  After a lovely home cooked meal, there was plenty of reminiscing going on, and out came the photo albums.  Robin and Gary were great school friends and went to Scouts together, the highlight being a trip down to Dunedin to attend a huge Scout Jamboree.  You can just imagine hundreds of scouts on a steam train to Wellington, stopping at all the stations to pick up more and more excited boys.  Then they boarded the Inter Island Ferry to Christchurch, and a double header steam train to take them down to Dunedin.  What a great adventure for them all, and the trip was repeated on the homeward journey.  Robin admits to sleeping curled up in a lifeboat on the return ferry trip.

Gary and Robin with the photo album

Next stop, New Plymouth

It’s no fun hooking up the caravan, winding up the legs and emptying the waste on a Friday morning in the drizzly rain  – so it’s lucky that the driver has to attend to that, isn’t it?  Meanwhile, I was busy inside, locking the cupboards so that nothing falls out, and vacumning up all the dust, bits of grass, and cat hair which gets everywhere.  It was goodbye to our fishing neighbour who was going home, and to the sheep in the paddock over the  fence. I suspect that a family of pukekos were running around the rushes, as all sorts of birdy cheeps and chirps were uttered loud and clear. 

Farm life over the fence

Then we joined all the trucks, cars and motor homes racing along SH3 as we continued on our trip.  Before we knew it we had passed out of the Waitomo area and entering into the Taranaki region.

The trip over Mt Messenger was slow due to the curving road, but the outlook was so pretty with the hill tops shrouded in low cloud.

 

Road over Mt Messenger

Even though I was waiting patiently with my camera, the Mt Messenger tunnel suddenly appeared around a corner, taking me by surprise.    The tunnel originally opened in 1916, and was single-lane, with a sharp, gothic-looking arch. The elegant arch was lost around 1990, when the tunnel was enlarged to provide two-lane access and to allow trucks with big loads to pass through. Mt Messenger is named after Colonel William Messenger, the commander of the garrison at nearby Pukearuhe redoubt during the 1870s and 1880s.

Mt Messenger tunnel

We are staying at Glenfern in New Plymouth for the next few nights, a park over property on a dairy farm, a place we always enjoy coming to.   The hosts are always most welcoming and remembered us from our previous visit.  Park up by the cattle yard, we were told.

At Glenfern Pop

Travelling to New Plymouth is just like a home coming to Robin, as he did most of his schooling here.  We have already driven past his old home, Westown Primary School and New Plymouth Boys High School, and shortly we  are meeting up with his old schoolboy chum, Gary.   Robin talked about his happy years growing up in this area,  doing typical boy’s stuff, playing sports and having fun with his old school friends.